Surgical boot



Patented Jan. 17, 1950 UNIT ED STAT ES PAT OFFICE I SURGICAHBOOT Frances Gogerty, Balboa Island, CaliL.

ApplicatlonJanuary 10, 1948, Serial No. 1,602

ficlaims. (Cl. 36-8.5)

My invention relates-to surgical covering devices and particularlycto avshoe,orzbootcadapted tobe worn overwthelower :extremityof aeplaster leg and foot cast to provide acoveringtherefor:

In situations where a plaster cast must be worn onthefoot and ankle of a person, thelower extremity or foot of the cast is usually left exposed and thus unprotected againstcold temperatures and inclement weather. For this reason,,the.cast is apt to become wet and cold and, becauselit has fair thermal, and moisture conductivity, the en closed foot of the person is accordingly subjected to such adverse conditions; with the'result that much discomfort is experienced by the wearer. Moreover, such casts-have arr-extremely awkward,

bulky and displeasing appearancew and forthis.

reason are regarded with disfavor.

It is the primary object of my invention to avoid such a tcondition*byproviding a surgical shoe or boot which can be-worn over the lower extremity of a'leg cast as :a protective covering therefor and which iscapable of effectively shielding the cast against extreme temperaturechanges and moisture and, in addition, adapted toconceal the foot cast to avoid aniundesirable appearance.

Another object is. to provide a boot, of thetype,

crossed at the rear of the .boot to closethe same,

said straps beingbrought around the front of the ankle portion and secured together, preferably by snap-fastener means, to retain. the,boot in, place on the cast.

Another object is .torprovide a surgicalboot in,

which the strapshave a plurality of thesnapfasteners, .any of ,whlchcanbe selectively employed, so as to adapt, the boot foruse onleg casts of different ankle dimensions.

Further objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawing, whichds intended; forrthe purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig.1 is a perspective yiew of my surgicatboot,

showing it in place on the foot-portion of a-leg cast, prior to being fastened thereon-a Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the boot, illustrating the manner in-which the straps are crossed, prior tobeing secured-together; and 1" Fig. 3 is a view similarto Figrl but showing-the tially impervious to moisture.

straps connected at the 'front of the ankle portion of the leg castto-retain the boot on the cast.

Referring to the drawing ,in detail, the surgical boot 5 is made in the-generalform of-ashoe,-the boot having a sole portion. 6, and an upper or vamp 'I which extends upwardly to provide, an ankle portion 8. Thebootmay'bemadefromany suitable flexible material which preferably possesses thermal insulating qualities and is substan- The boot 5 may be fabricatedfrom;severahparts sewedtogether or otherwise joinedas shownin Fig.1. Preferably, the boot 5 includes an intermediate portion; or strip 2%! which is made from fabric and cut onthe bias so that it is capableof stretching bothilongitudinally and transversely. By this provision, the boot 5 is made adjustablersothat it will conform toeither right or left-hand foot casts oflarge and small sizes. It is ,alsodesirable thatthesolepor- 'tion 6 be made from a-material such. as canvas, which is non-raveling and non-stretching so that its rear portioncan be slit to adapt the boot tobe placed over a foot cast in which \a projecting metal loop or walker isused as atsupport for the heeL the walker then extending through, the slit to rest upon the ground.

It will be noted, by reference to ,Fig. 1, that the oposite sides of the ankle portion 8 of the boot 5 are extended rearwardly in wing-like straps Ill and I I, thereby leaving an, opening, l2 at the rear of, the boot through which the foot of, the .leg cast I3 canbe inserted into theboot. The straps I0 and I I preferably have curved lower edges l4 and it will be observed that-the strap II is slightly *narrower throughout its major portion than the strap ID. The strap II] is provided with an elongated slot or opening I5 through which the strap I I can be passed so as to 'cross thestraps at the rear of the boot and thusclose the =opening I2 after the boot has been applied to the foot of the leg cast.

The free ends of the straps I0 and I I are adapted to be joined together at. the front of theankle portion 8 by suitable fastening :means; the present drawing showingxa series ofsnap fasteners for this purpose; The"malesnap fastenerelements I8 are secured to the strap I I," adjacent it's free end, while the femaleelements-IS are similarly carried at the end of thestrap I0: It isapparent that by providinga pluralityofthe snapfastener elements IBandrIS, any or-vall the fasteners may be employed for releasably securing the straps together as shown in Fig. 3, and thatby this means the ankle portionB can be adjusted in girth to adapt it toencircle the ankle port-ionsof leg casts-of different size. It willbe notedthat by providing the straps ill and H with curved lower edges, the straps follow the contour of the instep portion of the cast so that a snug fit of the boot on the cast is obtained.

To apply the surgical boot to the foot and ankle of the leg cast 53, the straps ill and H are extended as shown in Fig. 1 so as to provide the opening 2 at the rear of the boot. B inserting the foot of the leg cast I3 through the opening [2 and sliding the boot rearwardly, the boot is readily donned. After the boot 5 has been positioned on the foot of the cast, the end of the strap ii is passed through the slot P5 of the strap H3 and the two straps drawn apart laterally as shown in Fig. 2 so as to cause them to cross each other and close the opening l2 at the rear of the boot. I I are then carried around the front of the ankle portion 8, the end of the strap I!) being lap-md over the end of the strap H and secured thereagainst by merely snapping its fastener elements I9 over the elements l8. Since the opening at the rear of the boot is entirely closed by the crossing straps Ill and H, the use of adhesive tape or other separate closure means is unneceffected. It is thus seen that the boot 5 can be employed as a covering for the foot and ankle portions of legs casts of different size.

The boot 5 adequately covers the lower extremity of the cast and by constructing the boot "from a material having low thermal conductivity and one which is highly impervious to moisture, the cast is protected against extreme temperature changes and rain and snow so that the foot env closed by the cast is not subjected to such adverse weather conditions and more comfort is experienced; Moreover, the boot adequately conceals the lower extremity of the leg cast and thus eliminates the bulky and awkward appearance of such surgical casts.

While I have herein shown and described the surgical boot as embodied in a preferred construction, by way of example, it will be apparent that various modifications might be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, I do not wish to be limited 1 in this respect, but desire to be afforded the full scope of the appended claims. I claim as my invention: 1. A surgical boot adapted to cover a surgical i foot and ankle cast, including: a flexible foot portion having a sole including a heel and an upper for enclosing the fore part of the foot section of the cast; and upstanding U-shaped ankle portion having a central part joined to said upper and sides joined to the rearward end of said heel and cooperating with said heel to completel errclose the sides and bottom of the heel section of the cast, said sides of said ankle portions providing between them an opening in the rear of the The free ends of the straps l0 and 4 their free ends overlapping; and interengageable fastening means on said straps adjacent their free ends adapted to adjustably connect said free ends at the front of the ankle section of the cast.

2. A surgical boot as defined in claim 1, and in cluding a fabric strip interposed between said sole and said upper, said strip being cut on the bias to adapt it to stretch both longitudinally and transversely so as to permit use of the boot on casts of different sizes and shapes.

3. A surgical boot as defined in claim 1, in which said sole is constructed from a non- 'raveling, non-stretchable material capable of being slit.

4. A surgical boot adapted to cover a surgical foot and ankle cast, including; a flexible foot portion having a sole including a heel and an upper for enclosing the fore part of the foot section of the cast; an upstanding U-shaped ankle portion having a central part joined to said upper and sides joined to the rearward end of said heel and cooperating with said heel to completely enclose the sides and bottom of the heel section of the cast, said sides of said ankle portions providing between them an opening in the rear of the boot through which the foot and ankle sections of the cast can be inserted; straps forming rearward extensions of the sides of said foot and ankle portions; one of said straps having an aperture therein through which the other strap can pass to adapt the straps to cross each other at the center of the back of the boot so as to close said opening and to encircle the ankle section of the cast with the free end of one of said straps overlapping the free end of the other of said straps; and interengageable fastening means on said straps adjacent their free ends adapted to adjustably connect said free ends at the front of the ankle section of the cast.

5. A surgical boot as defined in claim 4 in which the lower edges of said straps are curved to adapt them to follow the contour of the instep section of the cast.

6. A surgical boot adapted to cover a surgical foot and ankle'cast, including: a flexible foot portion having a sole and an upper for enclosing the foot section of the cast; an upstanding ankle portion, said foot and ankle portions having an opening in the rear thereof through which the foot and ankle sections of the cast can be inserted; straps forming rearward extensions of the sides of said foot and ankle portions; one of said straps having a vertical slot therein through which the other strap can pass to adapt the straps to cross each other at the center of the back of the boot so as to close said opening and to encircle the ankle section of the cast with their free ends over-lapping, said straps having" curved lower edges adapted to follow the contour of the instep section of the cast; and interengageable snapfastener elements on said straps adjacent their free ends adapted to be selectively engaged so as to adjustably connect said free ends at the front boot through which the foot and ankle sections of the cast can be inserted; straps forming rearward extensions of the sides of said ankle portion,

and to encircle the ankle section of the cast with the straps to cross each other at the center of i the backof the boot so as to close said opening of the ankle section of the cast.

7 FRANCES E. GOGERTY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,121,158 Barnhart Dec. 15, 1914 2,216,488 l Ellsworth Oct. 1, 1940 

